The Big Black Dog
by Harry Hippie
Summary: Luna is alone, but doesn't really care. She finds occasional solace in the elusive black dog that haunts Hogwarts. pre-OotP w some spoilers
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1:

Third year is such a drag! Why do people even bother? Being with people is an odd happening this year. Why do people avoid me so?The only thing that trusts me is the big black dog at Hogsmeade. Sometimes he isn't even there, at the stone by the river. The dog likes to eat my bologna. I think he likes my poetry. He always wags his tail. He's a smart dog. I think I should like it if he were human. That's a thought.  
  
I wrote it down. Poems were so easy to come by if you just let your mind flow along it's own path. I don't imagine some people would like doing that. A poem by Harry Potter wouldn't be very happy. A poem by Draco Malfoy wouldn't be very nice. A poem by Cho Chang wouldn't be very glad. A poem by Susan Bones wouldn't be very smart. Mine are just right. Or at least I think so. My mother loved my little poems about birds and dogs. They were usually only one or two stanzas, and rhymed perfectly, but what can you expect from a nine-year-old? I loved mother. She died, but I know she reads my poems over my shoulder. I don't remember seeing her die. The doctor called it selective amnesia. I remember before and after her dying, but not the moment of her death. I get up from my desk and look out of the window at the massive lake. The squid's massive stomach is on the surface. A glimmer of green flashes. A mermaid. They aren't the beautiful creatures of muggle mythology. But they carry thier own beauty. With voices like pheonixes and bodies like scaled seals, thier quality is raised considerably. No one seems to see them flying above the surface but me. Maybe no one takes the time to look.  
  
I see the dog flash through the trees. I decide to run outside and visit him. He is my best friend. A soulmate if I ever had one. I slip into my powder blue robe and run down three flights of stairs, through a door behind a tapestry into an open courtyard. I race to the edge of the Forbidden Forest. I whistle long and low, a whistle my family used to locate one another. Out of the trees came the dog, skirting the edges. At last he reaches me. I kneel and pat his head, then hug him gently around his thick neck. His tail brushes up dirt from wagging so fast. He licks my face and neck, then leaps a few feet and looks back in a 'come hither' manner. I follow him all the way to the other side of the lake and into a row of hedges.  
  
"I wrote a new poem. I think it might be in my robes... somewhere..." I peruse my robe pockets and find it in the little inside pocket my father had had sewn into them. I read it to him. It's about trees through the seasons. He wags his tail and licks my face on my cheek.  
  
"How have you been, dear dog? My year has been rather dull. No one ever talks to me. Ginny or Susan or Cho do every once in a while, but only for assignments or to trade bits of gossip. Oh, the Triwizard Competition is exciting enough, but it doesn't really involve me. Harry seems to be doing well enough. Have you heard about it? I suppose you have. Even stray dogs would here of Harry Potter proving he really is a hero. Harry is nice enough, I suppose. I've never even talked to him, of course. You don't suppose he would be interested in the invading harpies, do you? What about the chimera they found in Antartica? I don't suppose he's interested in my travels through West India in search of kelpies would interest him, do you? I'm sorry, dog, do you want to say something?" He yelped in response. I nodded. Harry would hate to hear about such things. But it's all I know. I wonder why I'm thinking about Harry Potter so much. Perhaps our fates are intertwined in the future. I must look into it. It could double as my Divination homework. I began telling the dog about the time I had to pull my father out of quicksand in South Africa on a hunting expedition. We were looking for harpies. I told Father that harpies didn't live in South Africa, but he persisted in saying that a new population was simply waiting to be discovered out there.  
  
I got up to go back to my dormitory. The dog got up with me and leaped off into the woods. I hoped I would see him again soon. I went back into my gray stone and mortar world.  
  
A/N: What do you think? R&R!!!!


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2  
  
Fourth year is much more fun than third, I think as I exit the room of requirement. Learning how to summon a Patronus is very fun. I wonder why mine was a dark dog. Looked like a Grim, to tell you the truth. That reminds me of the dog. The big, black friendly dog. I haven't seen him since that one time beside the lake last year. I never asked him if he had a name. I drop my books onto my bed and decide to go outside. I cross the expansive lawn and look into the forest. It's dark, but at the same time, it seems cozy, lazy. I look around. Hagrid is emersed in his pumpkin patch. I see no other teachers or faces in the windows. I walk in. I immediately feel exhilerated, electrified with daring and anticipation. The anticipation is a little strange, but I learned long ago that my magically hightened senses were usually right in the things they triggered. My gift with Divination and Astronomy might have something to do with that. I walk in a straight line, following a non-existent path, walking to the beat of my heart.  
  
I come to the edge of a small clearing, but back away behind some bushes and shrubs. My heart is rapidly increasing speed. I see a man enter the clearing. He's tall, dark, and handsome, but the cliche doesn't do him justice. His hair is longer than most men wear thiers, and is pushed back with water from a nearby creek. He is wearing only trousers, holding his dark shirt and worn robe in his hand. He has obviously just bathed. His nose is perfectly symmetrical, his eyes focused on a place not of this world, his lips in a frown of thought and deep concentration. My leg, bent at the knee, is becoming uncomforatable, so I shift ever so slightly and step lightly on a few old leaves. The man stiffens and...changes. His legs shorten and reararrange, his face lengthens, and his back sort of readjusts. All of this is done in a split second, and suddenly, a huge dog is on top of me. When he recognizes me, his fierce snarl slackens into a docile and ashamed grin. He meekly crawls off of me and sits like a disobidient child placed in time-out. I put my hand on his head and look into his puppy dog eyes.  
  
"I saw everything. Who are you?" To my surprise, he changed back. He was sitting with his legs sprawled out and hunched over so I could see rolls of flab that didn't normally exist.  
  
"You mean you don't know? Do you ever even lightly glance at the Daily Prophet?"  
  
"It's practically sacrelige to even look at the Daily Prophet in my house. I wouldn't want to read that rubbish, anyway. It's all exaggerated lies. But... Yes, my father's magazine did an article on you! You're Stubby Boardman! Alias Sirius Black, of course, but nonetheless! Pleasure to meet you! May I have an autograph? You're the only music my father listens to, other than when he's listening to the radio!" The man known as Stubby Boardman looked at me as if I was totally crazy. I, of course, am used to such looks by now.  
  
"I think you're a bit misinformed, girl. I AM Sirius Black. Not some guy named Stubby. Run in fear, if you want. Don't really see why you would want to, since we've known each other since your third year, but, to each his own."  
  
"I'm not going to run! How rediculous! Harry Potter and his friends,calling you Snuffles under the impression that it would disguise thier connection to you, are constantly discussing the numerous ways in which you are innocent. They are rather mislead, don't you think? I figured out the disguise when I heard Harry slip. They were alone, though, so don't worry." I am very on top of things. I pride myself on it. Even if people don't know, I do. I've never told anything important to anyone, and rarely told unimportant things unless the subject came up and the people discussing it were greatly incorrect. Sirius looked extremely surprised.  
  
"I didn't know you were Animagus. You weren't on the list. How did you do it without the Ministry knowing? And when?" I inquired. It was amazing the way animagus worked. I had looked it up in the library a few times in my studies. I desprately wanted to become one. I think a bird would be best. A pheonix, like Fawkes. They are truly beautiful creatures.  
  
Sirius told me about his adventures with the Marauders. I, of course, knew about them from the conversations Harry had with others. They really should learn about seclusion. They weren't very good at it. He told about Remus Lupin, which I already knew about because, in second year, on a moonlit walk, I watched from the hedges as Prof. Lupin changed. It was strange to see some one you knew so well be in such excruciating pain and turn into a monster of sorts. Black's story was intriguing. I found myself wishing I had met his human form earlier. He was so interesting. Finally, he came to the part about the magic. It was like a polyjuice potion, but permanent and manipulatable (?). It had taken months for them to meticulously collect and prepare the potion. Rather like the time Hermione made the potion in the bathroom. I'm still not quite sure why they wanted it. Sirius closed his story and looked at me for a longtime. I become slightly uncomfortable and asked why he was staring at me.  
  
"I've never seen you in color before." I thought about it. It was true. Extraordinary.  
  
A/n: I'm runnin' out of fuel, here, so if you want something to happen, tell me. When my inspiration hits, I don't have time to write it all down, so I forget. I'll try to update ASAP. 


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Sirius stared at Luna a moment longer. She was strange in a naive kind of way. He wondered about her sanity a little before, but decided that she wasn't insane, she just had a different way of looking at things than other people. Her peoms had an essence to them. The poem lingered in your mind as the words slowly unraveled thier meanings. He liked her. she smelled like Hogwarts, like magic and ink and wadded old parchment. Like students and the Great Hall and mowed lawns. then there was some other smell that even enhanced dog senses couldn't put down. It was like the smell of ice, crushed leaves, tears, heartbreak. All her smells, especially the mysterious one, intrigued him, drew him nearer, asked a question that could only be answered with another question. He knew his thoughts didn't make any sense, but when you're alone for months at a time, you begin to think, make theories, ask those unanswerable questions.

Sirius got up and shook off the water before pulling on his shirt. He had to go back to Grimmauld Place. He had seen what he had come for, and now he was leaving. He said good-bye to Luna, who looked like she wanted to say something, but decided against it. He transformed as he walked and began an easy trot. He would apparate once he reached the boundary. You could tell when you reached the boundary of Hogwarts, because a charge of energy that was there before disappeared. Sirius knew this from his many escapades as a boy. Going into the Forbidden Forest was just another rule the Marauders broke.

When Sirius reached his home, he sat next to the fire and fell asleep. The soothing warmth gave an aura of comfort. His fluffy chair was so soft, and the blanket so cozy... When he woke up, Kreacher was walking up the stairs, cackling.

"We is so smart! The cleverness of us! Master going to be pleased! Yes, yes! Ha ha!" Kreacher's laugh was low and dry. Sirius had the feeling that Kreacher wasn't referring to him as 'Master'. He got up and swooped upon the elf.

"_What did you do, you vile little monster?!_ What DID you do!!!" Sirius said, picking him up by the scruff of his neck. He shook him to emphasize his interagation. Kreacher cackled.

"You is too late, evil man! Harry Potter is being dead. Killed as we speak, he is. You is too late. Master is defeating him in the Ministry, he is. _Too late_!!!!" Kreacher was pleased with himself for betraying his own family. Sirius threw Floo powder in the flames and yelled, "The Ministry of Magic!" at the top of his lungs. Moments later, he crashed through the fire into a marble fireplace. He ran, changing into a dog as he went. He caught the scent, then stopped, his mind catching up with his body. He went to the nearest flame, found the little pot of powder, and called on reinforcements, one after the other. Soon a small group stood before him. He began running and changing again. The scent got stronger. Students, quite a few, amellingof Hogwarts and there was that smell._ She _was here.

He ran into hte department of mysteries. They had all gone in one door... seperate ways in the hall of prophecies... There's one, stunned. Someone will takecare of him. Harry... Left, right, middle, pant... Sniff. That way? No. _This_ way. Change back. Death Eaters. _Stupefy!_ 'Bye, 'Bye, Death Eaters. More. HARRY! Battle! Jelly legs. Stun. Petrify. Stun again. Ouch. Uuuuhn...

TBC

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You must beg long and hard and I shall write more. Only then shall I update. On your knees! Ugh, _that_ didn't sound right. Even if you don't beg, I'll write. I'm not one to care about public opinion. If it's not useful critiscim, you're jealous. ; )


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4:

Luna saw the man, the dog, Sirius Black, fall. She heard Harry's scream just as all went into blackness.

When Luna woke up, Harry was elsewhere and some mediwizard was waking her up. She looked around and saw Death Eaters being bound together and taken away to the North Sea, to Azkaban. That gladdened her considerably. She saw the whispering curtain and remembered Sirius falling, falling. She got up and walked steadily towards the viel. She saw movements and knew it was Sirius trying to find a gap to walk through. She would have to help him. It would not be proper to let someone just keep pushing the curtain forever.

But just as she reached out to pull the viel back, a wizard tackled her to the ground. She felt rather frustrated by the whole situation. Here she was trying to help someone and she got tackled by some wizard. When she caught her breath, the wizard spoke.

"Are you bloody crazy?! No one who went in there has ever come out! In fact, I believe someone just fell through there. If you were here, you saw it, so why the bloody hell were you trying to go in there?!" the wizard said, rather red in the face after his lecture. He was wiry, thank goodness, since he just tackled her. He stood up and brushed off his long robes that were too short for his astounding height. Luna got up huffily, but the wanted effect was lost since she only came up to his chest.

"The man you speak of, the one who fell through, was a friend of mine. If you had let me be, I oculd have helped him." She glanced at the veil. "Now he's gone! Deeper behind it. You scared him off. Now I just know I'll have to wait forever to find him again. Now _shoo_!!!" The man lumbered off. Luna knew she would forever remember him as the lumbering giant, if she remembered him at all. She walked off to find someone to talk to.

Luna had been talking to Hermione a lot over the past week. Hermione, though she tried to hide it, usually found Luna frivolous. Luna knew it, but, like many things, chose to ignore it. hermione and she had spent a lot of time in the library, finding reasons to get permission for books from the restricted section. Nothing really helped. Everything said the same thing. The veil was an unsolvable mystery. Luna and Hermione put thier heads together. They wanted to save Sirius. Hermione wanted to save him for Harry, and Luna wanted her friend back. They developed a plan that would begin the week before Hogwarts started again. They planned weekly trips to the library to perfect this plan and see if they could find anything different.

School ended with Luna and Hermione running to catch the last carriage from the library. They said thier farewells and wrote down dates for trips to the library near Luna's home. Hermione would be staying at the Weasley's home for most of the summer. Operation Big Black Dog was being set to launch.

A/N: And that is where I shall leave you, but only for a while. This 'Operation' was a stroke of genius. The story was headed in a whole other direction before this little idea planted itself firmly in the plot.

I hate holidays. Today is Thanksgiving and all I have to say for myself is that I ate shamelessly and am now sitting in a teddy bear robe of my mother's and mismatching socks, freezing my behunkus off, writing this lovely update for you. Well, ta. Me mum is buggerin' me to get off and clean my room. What a nuisance.


End file.
